Animal-trap.



PATBNTED NOV. 13, 1906. H. P. HARFST.

ANIMAL TRAP.

.APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1906.

AIO

.anda

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. HARFST, OF META. MISSOURI.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent'.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed August 7, 1906. Serial No. 329,574.

This invention has relation to animal-l traps especially adapted to catch rats and mice; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter hown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a tra so constructed and arranged as to eectua y'and surely entrap the rodent and after it is s rung or operate to automatically set just itself or future o eration. The trap consists, primari y, of a body portion communicating .at its sides or ends with reception or accumulating compartments and an inclined avity actuating door leading from the ody portion of the trap into suchcompartments. The upper portion of the trap is slidably detachable from the body portion thereof and is provided with an enticing or luring'means, which consists of a; mirror, at or near which is provided a hook to which the bait is attached; A series of trips'or skids are pivoted to the slidable l0rtion of the trap and are weighted at t eir outer ends in order to normallyr retain themselves in level ositions. The opposite or lighter ends of t e said trips or skids aredisposed toward the enticing or luring means and the said bait.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is Ia longitudinal sectional vievvv of the' trap.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 13

The trap comprises the body portion 1, having arranged at its ends the accumulatingcompartments 2 2. Openings 3Y are rovided in the ends of the body portion 1`an are normallyclosed by the gravity-actuated inclined doors 4, which are hinged at their upper enlls' a s g t 5, the said upper ends being space distanceirom the side walls of the compartment 1. The gratings 6 are located on top of the compartments 2 2. The said gratings do sys not extend all of the way from the outer sides of the said com 'partmentslto the sides of the body portion 1 g; but the intervening spaces 7 are left in order that the animals may be readily removed from the said accumulatingcompartments 2. The up er edges of the body portion 1 are provided with the guides 8. The frame of the u per portion of the trap is made to slidabl)y engage the said guides 8. The said upper portion of the trap is provided at a point preferably midway of its ends with the vertically-disposed*mirrors 9 9. The wire 1() extends down from the top of the framework supporting the said mirrors and projects at its lower ends in front of the lower edges of each mirror 9 in form of the hooks 11 11, which are adapted to retain the bait. (Not shown.)

AEach side of the top of the trap is provided with a series of pivoted trips or skids 12,. The said trips are all pivoted on the horizontal rod 13, which is secured at its ends injthe framework of the said top. The horizontal rod 14 is attached at its ends to the side of the body portion l1 f the trap and is adapted to linut the downward swing of the said trips or skids 12. Each said trip 12 is provided at or near its end with a recess 14', which is adapted to hold shot,l and a passage leading into the said recess from the to of the tri being normally closed by an or inary woodscrew 15. Thus the said ends of the said trips are weighted, and the said trips 12 are normally held in horizontal positions, the ledge 16 being secured to the framework of the top of the tra andlimiting the downward movement o the weighted ends of the said trips. The opposite ends of the said trips are disposed toward and terminating in the vicinity of the mirrors and bait-retaining hooks. The ledges 16 normally close the openings 7, and when the Asaid to is shifted to one side the said ledges pass eyond the said o e gis, and the animals .may be remove W en -the trap isV constructed of wood, all the interior surfaces are preferably covered with tin or other sheet metal, asis the usual practice in the construction of traps of the character stated. y

In o eration bait is placed upon the hooks 117 an the rodent attracted thereto by naturalfinstincts will attempt toget on top of the trap. As soon as this attem t is made his attention is attracted to the bait, and seeing himself in the mirror located directly be- IIO trips the skids 13 immediately assume normal positions. The vrod ent being in the bod y of the trap and the doors 4 fl beingv spaced. slightly at their upper ends away from the ends of the body portieri 1, the ,rodent will make for the rays of light coming through such spaces, and in doing so he pushes by and lifts the said doors 4 and enters the compare ment 2, and thereby establishes his close con# finement. He is also out oro tl'ie'wey and does not interfere with the similar conduct o other animals to follow.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and. desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-v A trap comprising a body portion, pencompartments arranged at opposite ends thereof end having openings adjacent each end of the body portion, an open frame slidably engaging the body portion and extending" beyond. the openings of the pen-eonipartments and arranged to slide over either pencompartment, two series of trips, oppositely disposed and pivoted to said frame and normally closing the opening thereof, mirrors mounted upon the frame bait-hooks attached to said mirrors and ledges carried bythe frame and which serve as trip-stops and closures for the openings of the pen-compartments.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY F. HARFST.

Wvitnesses:

PAUL SCHULZ, Genn ARD HARFs'r. 

